Earthquakes

[Shammu]

Earthquake strikes southern Mexico

By MANUEL DE LA CRUZ, Associated Press Writer Fri Jul 6, 12:45 AM ET

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico - A strong earthquake shook parts of southern Mexico on Thursday night, sending thousands of residents fleeing into the streets. There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.

The magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck at 8:09 p.m. and was centered near the Chiapas state capital of Tuxtla Gutierrez, 430 miles southeast of Mexico City, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors temblors worldwide.

Thousands of city residents ran out of homes and buildings as the ground trembled and windows rattled. Electricity for much of the city was also cut off for several minutes.

"I was very scared. I thought that everything would fall down," said Araceli de la Cruz, who ran to the street with her two small children.

De la Cruz said the tremor reminded her of the devastating 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, where she lived as a girl.

"I remembered when my school fell down around me," she said, crying. The director of Chiapas' Civil Protection agency, Alfredo Chang, said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The tremor also rattled buildings in the swampy, oil-rich city of Villahermosa in neighboring Tabasco state.

"I've never felt anything like it," said Alex Zendejas, 28, who was in his 10th floor office when the earthquake hit.

Rurico Dominguez, the director of Tabasco's Civil Protection agency, said electricity had been temporarily cut off in some villages but there were no reports of injuries.

The earthquake was also felt in northwestern Guatemala while some buildings in Mexico City shook, causing residents to flee their homes.

Earthquake strikes southern Mexico

[Shammu]

Japan hit by 'strong' earthquake
Monday, 16 July 2007

A strong earthquake has hit north-western Japan, triggering small tsunami waves, officials say.

The quake of preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck off the coast of Niigata, some 260km (160 miles) north-west of Tokyo, Japan's meteorological agency says.

It says waves up 50cm (20 inches) high were reported to have hit the coast.

The tremor - which hit the country at 0113 GMT - also swayed buildings in Tokyo. So far there have been no reports of any injuries or damage.

A fire was reported at an electricity supply area at the Kashiwazaki nuclear plant, which is close to the epicentre of the earthquake.

But officials said that the plant was automatically shut down and there was no fear of radiation.

A tsunami warning was issued, but it was later lifted.

Earthquakes are common in Japan, which is situated in one of the world's most seismically active areas, and the country regularly holds safety drills.

In October 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck Niigata, killing 65 people, and in 1995 a magnitude 7.2 tremor killed more than 6,400 in Kobe.

Japan hit by 'strong' earthquake

[Soldier4Christ]

4.2 magnitude earthquake shakes up East Bay, San Francisco

An earthquake centered in the Oakland hills shook the Bay Area this morning for anywhere from ten to 30 seconds, knocking out power to about 1,400 people.

Preliminary reports from the U.S. Geological Survey show that the 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck at 4:42 a.m.

The epicenter was east of Highway 13 near Holy Names University and Joaquin Miller Park.

One Berkeley resident said the quake woke her up and that she felt about 30 seconds of strong shaking. Her porch light on a pendant swung after the rumble subsided, but the quake caused no damage.

The Associated Press said there were reports of items falling off shelves and broken glass, although no immediate indication of any serious damage or injuries.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spokesman David Eisenhower told Bay City News that about 1,400 customers lost their power in 20 separate outages.

The majority of the outages occurred in the Oakland area, which is where the epicenter of the quake was. Crews are still investigating and will have updates throughout the morning, he said.

A dispatcher at the Oakland Police Department told the news agency that police were getting calls about alarms going off.

In Berkeley, an employee at a Safeway grocery store on Shattuck Avenue near UC-Berkeley said two large windows were broken but there were no injuries at the store.

[Shammu]

Japan's Okinawa Shaken By Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake
11 minutes ago

By Drew Gibson

Aug. 7 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake shook Okinawa in southern Japan at 9:02 a.m. local time. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The quake was centered near Okinawa's main island, the Japan Meteorological Agency said on its Web site. The quake's depth is ``very shallow'' and ``minor changes in sea level are possible,'' the agency said. No tsunami warning has been issued.

The country's last major earthquake hit the north-central prefecture of Niigata on July 16, killing 11 people and injuring more than 1,000. Damage from the magnitude 6.8 quake forced Tokyo Electric Power Co. to close its biggest nuclear power plant and Japanese carmakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., to cut production after a parts supplier in the region halted operations.

A quake that hit the same area in 2004 killed 33 people, shut a section of a bullet train line and halted production at a semiconductor plant operated by Sanyo Electric Co.

Japan's Okinawa Shaken By Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake

[Soldier4Christ]

Powerful quake hits Indonesia 
Preliminary magnitude 7.5 centered 66 miles east of Jakarta

A powerful earthquake under the Java Sea shook Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and panicking residents.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which struck at 12:04 a.m. (1:04 p.m. EDT Wednesday) had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered about 66 miles east of Jakarta at a depth of 180 miles.

Residents said tall buildings and single story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million people.

El-Shinta radio reported that the quake could be felt from Sumatra island in the west to Bali to the east, but that there were no immediate reports of damage.

Because of the earthquake's depth, there was little risk of a tsunami, said Robert Cessaro, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

None of the instruments closest to the earthquake indicated that a tsunami was triggered, Cessaro said, although he added that there were no instruments "very close" to the quake's epicenter.

The depth of the earthquake "suggests there will be no tsunami," he said.

The Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake that triggered the tsunami off the coast of Sumatra and killed more than 131,000 in Indonesia's Ache province was just 18 miles in depth, according to the USGS.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

[Shammu]

Small earthquake hits Los Angeles area
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:15AM EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A small earthquake hit the northern Los Angeles area just before 1 a.m. (4 a.m. EDT) on Thursday, waking residents across a broad swathe of the area, but there were no immediate reports of significant damage.

The 4.5 preliminary magnitude quake was centered 4.1 miles north-northwest of the suburb of Chatsworth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was extremely shallow, at only 3 miles deep.

Chatsworth, the unofficial capital of the porn movie industry, is about 32 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Residents reported a strong jolt, followed by a lot of shaking. Some said pictures fell off walls, water sloshed around in toilets, and television sets wobbled on cabinets. A police spokesman said the quake triggered hundreds of alarms.

It was followed by two aftershocks, both with a preliminary 1.6 magnitude.

Chatsworth is just six miles west of Northridge, the epicenter of the magnitude 6.7 quake that killed 57 people and injured more than 9,000 in 1994.

Small earthquake hits Los Angeles area

[Shammu]

The 4.5 preliminary magnitude quake was centered 4.1 miles north-northwest of the suburb of Chatsworth, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was extremely shallow, at only 3 miles deep.

Chatsworth, the unofficial capital of the porn movie industry

God is saying, I don't like this change your ways.

[Shammu]

 Moderate quake hits Taiwan

Wed Aug 8, 11:15 PM ET

TAIPEI, Taiwan - A moderate earthquake struck southern Taiwan early Thursday, officials said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The magnitude-5.7 quake hit at around 8:55 a.m. and was centered about 10 miles southwest of the eastern coastal city of Taidung, the Central Weather Bureau said. Taidung is about 150 miles south of the capital, Taipei.

Quakes frequently rattle Taiwan, but most are minor and cause little or no damage.

However, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in central Taiwan in September 1999 killed more than 2,300 people, and in December 2006 a 6.7-magnitude offshore tremor south of the city of Kaohsiung severed two undersea cables and disrupted telephone and Internet service to millions of users throughout Asia.

Moderate quake hits Taiwan

[Shammu]

 Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia

By ROBIN McDOWELL, Associated Press Writer Thu Aug 9, 1:50 AM ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A powerful earthquake under the Java Sea rattled Indonesia's capital early Thursday, violently shaking tall buildings and sending panicked residents into the streets.

There were no reports of damage and the temblor didn't trigger a tsunami, probably because of its depth 180 miles beneath the Java Sea, geophysicists said.

The quake, which struck at 12:04 a.m. (1:04 p.m. EDT Wednesday) had a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 and was centered about 65 miles east of Jakarta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Residents said tall buildings and single story homes shook violently in the city of 9 million people, and water sloshed from swimming pools.

Many people were awakened by the quake and some people screamed "Allah akbar!" or "God is great!" as they ran outside.

El-Shinta radio reported that the quake could be felt from Sumatra island in the west to Bali to the east.

The quake also was felt in parts of Malaysia, said Don Blakeman, a geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo.

None of the instruments closest to the earthquake indicated that a tsunami was triggered, said Robert Cessaro, a geophysicist at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii. He added that there were no instruments "very close" to the quake's epicenter.

"Because this earthquake was so far below the ocean bottom, it didn't trigger a tsunami or cause a lot of damage," said John Bellini, another USGS geophysicist.

The Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake that triggered the tsunami off the coast of Sumatra and killed more than 131,000 in Indonesia's Ache province was only 18 miles deep, according to the USGS.

"The earthquake center in 2004 was close enough that it actually ruptured the surface of the sea floor, which caused a tsunami," Bellini said. "This one was felt by people on the ground, and it shook buildings, but it was too deep to cause the ocean bottom to move."

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia

[Shammu]

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;

[Faithin1]

God is saying, I don't like this change your ways.

AMEN!!  Indonesia, Taiwan, Los Angeles...earthquakes in diverse places.  Wake up world!

[Shammu]

Quake shakes hurricane-braced Hawaii

HILO, Hawaii (AP) -- An earthquake on Monday jolted the Big Island of Hawaii, which is already under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning.

 The magnitude 5.3 temblor struck at 7:38 p.m. local time, about 25 miles south of Hilo, according to a preliminary report from the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no reports of injuries, structural damage or a tsunami, though the quake caused a small landslide, according to Tom Brown, a spokesman for Hawaii County Civil Defense.

Earlier Monday, the weather service placed the Big Island under a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning, as Hurricane Flossie approached. A flash flood watch was also issued for the island through Wednesday.

The Big Island is largely rural, with about 150,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest by the hurricane. Other islands are expected to get less of the storm's wind and rain. Video Watch nervous Hawaii residents empty store shelves »

Public schools were closed and Hawaiians were warned to have plenty of food and water on hand as Hurricane Flossie roared toward the state early Tuesday.

Flossie was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane Tuesday, but stayed on course to brush the Big Island.

 The eye of the storm had maximum sustained wind of 110 mph, hurricane specialists noted in downgrading the storm from the earlier Category 3. It was expected to pass fewer than 100 miles from the islands, lashing the shores with strong wind and up to 15 inches of rain, meteorologists said.

Gov. Linda Lingle signed an emergency disaster proclamation, which activates the Hawaii National Guard. Mayor Harry Kim also declared a state of emergency Monday as a precaution. All 56 public schools, as well as private schools, on the Big Island also were closed for Tuesday.

At 5 a.m. EDT, Flossie was about 260 miles south-southeast of Hilo and 455 miles southeast of Honolulu, the Central Pacific Hurricane Center said. The storm was moving west-northwest at about 15 mph.

Hurricane force winds of at least 74 mph extended outward up to 40 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical storm force winds of at least 39 mph extend outward up to 155 miles.

Meteorologists cautioned that even a slight change of course in the unpredictable storm could take it closer to land.

"We're not out of it, but this is too close for comfort," said Maj. Gen. Robert Lee, state adjutant general and Hawaii National Guard commander.

The move also provides access to emergency money.

Forecasters earlier had said cooler weather would weaken the storm to a Category 1 hurricane, with sustained wind of at least 74 mph, by the time it passes about 90 miles south of the Big Island of Hawaii on Tuesday.

But on Monday forecasters said they now expected a Category 3 hurricane, with little change in strength when it passes the island. Earlier in the day, Flossie had been a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph.

"The intensity has remained stronger than what was originally forecast, but the track has been pretty much right on," said Jim Weyman, the National Weather Service's meteorologist in charge in Honolulu.

Officials strongly urged residents statewide to prepare, including having a supply of food, water and disaster plans.

"If Flossie misses us, that's great. But we're still in hurricane season," said Ray Lovell, spokesman for the state Civil Defense Agency.

Parts of the Big Island, home to one of the world's most active volcanoes in Kilauea, likely will experience tropical storm-level winds and at least 10 to 15 inches of rain, Weyman said.

The last time a hurricane hit Hawaii was in 1992, when Iniki ravaged Kauai, killing six people and causing $2.5 billion in damage.

Meanwhile, in the Atlantic basin, a tropical depression strengthened into Tropical Storm Dean.

The storm was about 1,660 miles east of the Lesser Antilles on Tuesday morning, racing almost due westward at about 23 mph, with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Forecasters said the tropical storm is expected to reach hurricane strength, with winds of at least 74 mph, by the weekend as it reaches the Windward Islands.

The current five-day forecast from the hurricane center has the storm at Category 2 strength, with sustained winds of at least 96 mph, by Saturday as the eye nears the Leeward Islands. However, because hurricanes often move in unpredictable fashion, the actual path a storm takes often varies widely from the long-range forecast.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. In May, forecasters said the Hawaiian Islands and the rest of the central Pacific faced a slightly below-average hurricane season, with just two or three tropical cyclones expected because of lower sea surface temperatures.

Quake shakes hurricane-braced Hawaii

[Shammu]

 Deadly earthquake strikes Peru; tsunami warning issued

Video: See the Lima resident describe how people were 'shouting and praying'

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck off the coast of central Peru on Wednesday evening, killing 17 people and leaving 70 hurt, Peruvian media reported.

 The quake also prompted a tsunami warning for Peru, as well as Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issued a tsunami watch for Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras.

Hawaii was under a tsunami advisory, which means there is no current threat to the area, but the threat status is being monitored.

Peru, and most of the South American Pacific Coast, are on border of two tectonic plates: The South American plate, which includes most of the continent, and the Nazca plate, which extends across the Pacific along most of the coast. See a map of where the quake struck »

A Chilean buoy about 440 miles from the quake site recorded a wave surge of about a foot afterward. That foot could grow exponentially in shallower water, however, as it approaches shore, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

The quake was felt for two minutes, according to Peruvian media. Broken windows were reported in Lima, and mobile phone service was interrupted.

"This has been the most terrifying experience we've had," Gladys Tarnawiecki told CNN from her home in Lima, the capital. "It was extremely long ... never in my life had I experienced this long an earthquake."

 Local television showed footage of traffic lights in Lima swaying with the quake. After everything stopped shaking, medics were seen tending to a woman. The video also showed chunks of plaster that had fallen from buildings. Some Lima residents were sobbing after the temblor, while others appeared to be praying.

The quake shook inland towns, as well as cities near the coast and the mountains.

There were power outages in Lima, Reuters reported, and people ran into the streets in panic as the tremor shook office buildings. Many stayed outside, afraid to go back indoors after radio reports warned them to prepare for possible aftershocks.

The quake struck at 6:41 p.m. (7:41 p.m. ET) and was centered 25 miles (61 kilometers) west-northwest of Chincha Alta, Peru, and 90 miles (161 kilometers) south-southeast of Lima, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 25 miles (47 kilometers) below the Earth's surface.

 More tremors followed. A magnitude 5.8 quake occurred at 7:02 p.m. (8:02 p.m. ET). It was further inland, centered 70 miles (113 kilometers) northeast of Chincha Alta and 111 miles (179 kilometers) east-southeast of Lima.

And at 7:19 p.m., another smaller quake of 5.9 magnitude occurred, centered 30 miles (48 kilometers) south-southwest of Ica, Peru, and 180 miles (290 kilometers) south-southeast of Lima.

Deadly earthquake strikes Peru; tsunami warning issued

[Shammu]

2ND LD: M5.3 quake jolts Chiba Pref., 1 hurt+     
Aug 15 08:42 PM US/Eastern
                  
TOKYO, Aug. 16 (AP) - (Kyodo)—(EDS: ADDING 1 INJURED, MORE QUAKES IN SAME AREA)

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 rocked Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, and its vicinity early Thursday, leaving one person slightly injured.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the 4:15 a.m. quake was followed by several smaller temblors. It did not issue a tsunami warning.

A 29-year-old man sustained minor injuries to his face as a chandelier came loose and fell while he was asleep in his house in the city of Chiba, according to authorities.

The focus of the quake was about 30 kilometers below sea level in the waters east of Chiba Prefecture.

The quake measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the city of Togane and the town of Kujukuri in Chiba Prefecture and 3 in the city of Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture, the city of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture, Arakawa Ward in Tokyo and Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Chiba Prefecture and its vicinities including Tokyo were later hit by a series of aftershocks which measured 3-2 on the Japanese scale, the agency said.

2ND LD: M5.3 quake jolts Chiba Pref., 1 hurt+

[Shammu]

I haven't checked the list this past week, and low and behold...................  This is for the past week.

Thu Aug 16
5.4    2007/08/16 01:35:40   -14.086    -76.546    35.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.9    2007/08/16 01:02:20   -13.308   -76.528   10.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.9    2007/08/16 00:19:11   -14.231   -76.180   10.0   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.8    2007/08/16 00:02:42   -12.645   -75.508   31.2   CENTRAL PERU

Wed Aug 15
7.9    2007/08/15 23:40:58   -13.322    -76.508    40.7   NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU
5.3    2007/08/15 23:20:36   35.335   140.389   38.9   NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.5    2007/08/15 20:22:14   50.568   -177.507   21.2   ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
5.4    2007/08/15 19:15:09   35.335   140.328   35.0   NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
5.3    2007/08/15 16:51:45   -7.269   155.687   49.3   SOLOMON ISLANDS
5.3    2007/08/15 10:12:46   14.081   146.468   50.8   ROTA REGION, NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

Tue Aug 14
5.0    2007/08/14 21:50:15    4.125    126.878    67.6   KEPULAUAN TALAUD, INDONESIA
5.0    2007/08/14 06:23:14   -15.967   167.343   107.7   VANUATU
5.4    2007/08/14 05:38:06   19.346   -155.066   9.7   ISLAND OF HAWAII, HAWAII
5.5    2007/08/14 04:13:35   46.841   141.719   10.0   SAKHALIN, RUSSIA

Mon Aug 13
5.5    2007/08/13 22:23:05   -30.996    -13.393    10.0   SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.0    2007/08/13 18:49:42   -0.616   127.496   35.0   HALMAHERA, INDONESIA
6.1    2007/08/13 10:27:28   -60.368   152.858   26.3   WEST OF MACQUARIE ISLAND
5.2    2007/08/13 10:11:13   -30.323   -177.468   10.0   KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Sun Aug 12
6.0    2007/08/12 12:05:20   -11.376    166.274    42.0   SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
5.1    2007/08/12 09:55:49   1.071   123.904   267.5   MINAHASA, SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Sat Aug 11
5.6    2007/08/11 18:04:53   -22.260   -179.534   606.4   SOUTH OF THE FIJI ISLANDS
5.1    2007/08/11 06:32:55   -5.461   -11.593   10.0   ASCENSION ISLAND REGION
5.2    2007/08/11 04:05:58   2.715   127.407   60.9   MOLUCCA SEA
5.0    2007/08/11 00:26:53   -30.552   -177.350   10.0   KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Fri Aug 10
5.1    2007/08/10 20:11:40    13.726    144.760    72.3   GUAM REGION
5.0    2007/08/10 13:31:26   51.340   -179.799   60.6   ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN IS., ALASKA
5.2    2007/08/10 13:17:57   -6.704   105.038   46.6   SUNDA STRAIT, INDONESIA
5.4    2007/08/10 11:47:01   46.599   153.060   10.0   KURIL ISLANDS
5.0    2007/08/10 10:11:30   -32.319   179.627   271.1   SOUTH OF THE KERMADEC ISLANDS
5.1    2007/08/10 00:20:46   -29.216   -177.447   55.1   KERMADEC ISLANDS, NEW ZEALAND

Thurs Aug 9
5.0    2007/08/09 20:30:16    29.845    131.118    68.1   SOUTHEAST OF THE RYUKYU ISLANDS
5.5    2007/08/09 17:25:06   25.813   -44.986   10.0   NORTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
5.1    2007/08/09 07:59:20   -15.044   -173.810   43.0   TONGA

It is normal to see 2-3 5.0 mag. earthquakes per day.  Out of the past 7 days, only 2 days would fall under normal.